Waldman bill would add $1 surcharge to cigarettes

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A Florida lawmaker is proposing the state add a $1 surcharge on each pack of cigarettes sold.

Rep. Jim Waldman says Florida's $1.34 per pack cigarette tax is the 27th lowest in the nation. The Coconut Creek Democrat proposed a bill this week that he says would raise an estimated $838 million a year. He said those funds could be used to offset the costs of a proposed reduction in motor vehicle registration fees.

Waldman successfully championed an increase in the state's cigarette surcharge in 2009.

According to the American Cancer Society, there was a 27 percent decline in the number of smokers in Florida, with 500,000 people kicking the habit.